


The Sanctuary of Twos

by TheGrinningShifter



Series: Tales from the Halls of Hypnotorin [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alien Romance, Alien/Human Relationships, Aliens, Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Enemies to Friends, Exophilia, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Guilt, Healthy Relationships, Human Experimentation, I love character interactions so this bad boy is gonna fit SO MUCH fluff and angst in it, I'm warning you, Major Original Character(s), Medicine, OCD, Original Character-centric, Original Universe, Post-Apocalypse, Reader gets cool technology powers, Reader swears like a sailor, Recovery, Robot Sex, Robot/Human Relationships, Robots, Size Difference, Slow Burn, Suicidal Reader, Survival, Survivor Reader, Terato, Teratophilia, Therapy, Torture, Trauma, Voice Kink, basically these two need a lot of therapy but they support and love one another, main boy isn't the one who hurts reader, mother-hen robot, reader is a badass, robo boyfriend has a heart of gold, this story has some dark moments ya'll, traumatized characters, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:55:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24918703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGrinningShifter/pseuds/TheGrinningShifter
Summary: Large robotic alien lifeforms, starting at 8ft tall with unmatched weapons of mass destruction, easily obliterated the colony you called home. You never found out why. Only that they didn't seem to be targeting civilizations so much as clearing spaces that were ideal for building mines. You had no idea what was so valuable that it was worth destroying so many lives for. You had nothing to lose and a few humans left who wanted answers so 'fuck it' you thought to yourself 'let's go steal some unknown robot ore.'It was two years ago you met.Two years ago and your life was so incredibly different. You would have sworn the world, and anything worth living for, was gone. The apocalypse took everything away from you, your family, your friends, your job. And it all came so suddenly you couldn't even get the closure you needed. The pain you felt when you tried to think about the life you had wanted to be leading and the people you would be leading it with by now seared through you like a branding iron the moment it entered your mind. Thinking about it wasn't an option if you wanted to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Reader/Original Male Character, female reader/original male character
Series: Tales from the Halls of Hypnotorin [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1803265
Comments: 11
Kudos: 42





	1. Like Riding a Bike

A beautiful opalescent door stands between you, and a world of promise. The Halls of Hypnotorin were not opened to many humans. The reason you were here lay beyond the door your hand hesitated to make contact with. You feel social anxiety fraying your already compromised nerves. But your heart, refusing to let you back down, reminds you of how hard you and him worked to be in this exact moment.

…

It was two years ago you met.

Two years ago and your life was so incredibly different. You would have sworn the world, and anything worth living for, was gone. The apocalypse took everything away from you, your family, your friends, your job. And it all came so suddenly you couldn’t even get the closure you needed. The pain you felt when you tried to think about the life you had wanted to be leading and the people you would be leading it with by now seared through you like a branding iron the moment it entered your mind. Thinking about it wasn’t an option if you wanted to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

It was hard to be quiet. You could not help the wince you made at hearing the gravel crunch beneath your feet with each cautious step you made toward the abandoned used car lot. Your heart thundered in your ears to the beat of an unheard drum. Being so out in the open was almost foolish. It showed how desperate you were for a working vehicle that you were here in the first place. Open space in broad daylight was one of the most dangerous places to be after the Gratics arrived.

Large robotic alien lifeforms, starting at 8ft tall, the Gratics as they called themselves, with unmatched weapons of mass destruction easily obliterated the colony you called home. You never found out _why_. Only that they didn’t seem to be targeting civilizations so much as clearing spaces that were ideal for building mines. You had no idea what was so valuable that it was worth destroying so many lives for. You had nothing to lose and a few humans left who wanted answers so ‘ _fuck it_ ’ you thought to yourself ‘ _let’s go steal some unknown robot ore.’_  
  


You could practically reach out and touch the tattered fence now to your great relief. As you began to scout out the area, sneaking close to cars, you ruminated on the bizarre road your life had taken. You actually were not supposed to be here. Your camp’s leader, Hideo Yoshino, a firm but fair Canadian man in his fifties, had absolutely forbade anyone from coming to this car lot due to how isolated and far away it was. You hadn’t mentioned stealing their ore and you weren’t looking forward to the disapproving parental look he’d give you if you returned alive. He was very much a mother hen to you all which contrasted hilariously with how scarred up he was and military-like his demeanor was. 

But his objections were not unfounded here. Open spaces were to be avoided at all cost because of how little protection they offered. Much like in a thunderstorm, you don’t want to be the tallest thing out in the open. Not used to being at the mercy of a predator, a large number of the population diminished simply for not knowing better having lost a lot of base instincts. Why would they? Your self-doubt constantly reminded you that it was sheer dumb luck that separated you from the dead but, deep down, you did let yourself hold a small bit of pride in your ability to adapt well to situations. 

You were well aware that luck and circumstance very much played a part. The houses and families that were instantly crushed by their Colonizers had zero chance of survival no matter how savvy or clever they were. Those who relied on other people or were otherwise vulnerable were especially at risk, with meds being hard to find and make, and stood much less of a chance. But it didn’t hurt your survival chances nor your growing reputation among the survivors that you quickly learned how to handle yourself and care for those who couldn’t do it themselves. Your wide stubborn streak definitely helped that matter as well.

You stayed low while trailing through the cars, lightly ghosting your hand over them as you moved. From the outside it didn’t look like you were giving them much consideration but there was a lot going on behind the surface. You were quickly calculating several things in a mental checklist. For one, you had to pick a car that blended in. Preferably a light sandy brown to blend in with the dead grass and dry dirt that encompassed the area. You also needed a car that was functional. Another thought you were keeping in mind was trying to find a new-ish car with, preferably, a solar/fission-based fusion engine. There were always exceptions but, with great advancements in technology, many of the new cars were whisper silent with a quiet hum being the only indication that it was turned on. Not to mention how much safer and long lasting these models had become due to pressure imposed on the car manufacturers after enough people were being killed due to cars designed to break, and a lack of implementing any of the improved safety measures found in racing vehicles in the name of corporate greed. You couldn’t go for any that were fully, or even partially, powered with gasoline. The noise was too risky and oil was too hard to scavenge compared to stored power cells and solar plating. Not to mention how inefficient it was for what you put in. Call you an idealist but you came all this way anyways so you’d very much like to take it back to your small sanctuary for future use. You waffled making a second trip later to get another car as well assuming this suicide mission was successful.

Turning a corner, you frowned when no cars matched your needs. You wanted sorely to pick the perfect ride for your crew. You pretended you didn’t care what others thought, and others did regard you as a rebel type, but you cared, took on their burdens as if they were your own, and worried about their impression of you way more than was healthy… so a decision that was usually easy was quickly getting clouded by overthinking. ‘ _Maybe I’m being too picky?’_ you hummed in thought. Your rushing thoughts were trying to be some sort of oracle and predict all the awful futures ahead of your supposed failure until you forced yourself to breathe. You huffed to yourself and lightly tapped your fingers on both arms, two on each side. _‘It won’t be a robot that kills me it’ll be my damn nerves.’_

Just when your head was heating up like a computer with too many tabs open your eyes caught something in the lot behind the building which made your whole being freeze. You surged toward it, faster than you should have but you needed to know if this was really it to give your clenched chest a break. You let out a quiet whoop of joy when you pulled a sun-bleached tarp off a thin long object to find just what you’d hoped for and more. **A motorcycle.** One of the earlier models when the more efficient engines were just starting to take off but new enough for its engine to be a mere purr.

You couldn’t help running your hand over the smooth curves of the two wheeled beauty. The paint job wasn’t exactly what you had in mind but you could make it work. You were maybe a little biased into making excuses to keep it since the sleek motorcycle seemed to almost be made for you, and you have been too nervous in your old life to get a motorbike of your own. Bulky and weighed down was not your style. You only felt at your best when you could have a full range of movement without too many little things to worry about or get in the way of your movements. The motorcycle was obsidian black with bright cyan accents and trails outlining the planes of the vehicle. It definitely wasn’t new as made clear by the chipped paint, many dents, and the seamless integration of the handlebars, seat, even the wheel was so stunning without overtaking the unencumbered minimalism needed for maneuvering and speed. There was definite pride put into designing this vehicle.

Slipping off your black jacket just in case you needed to do repairs, you walked around it, idly wondering why such a beautiful piece of machinery was in such a dump till you got your answer from a thorough searching of the rickety building. You had located the keys and a sleek, albeit dusty, black and cyan helmet in an office you could only assume belonged to the owner of the lot.

“Damn this person had good taste,” you muttered with a grin to yourself as you straddled the motorcycle. You settled in comfortably, the shape matching your body near perfectly. You held your breath as you inserted the key and turned. Relief, and a spike of excitement rushed through you as you heard a mild stutter but then a deep rumble, reminding you of a cougar’s purr. You slid the helmet on and shrugged your jacket back over your shoulders. 

You went to lift your foot until something truly shocking happened. Once your body locked into the riding position, and your helmet was on your head a blinding white-hot flash of pain overtook all of your senses. You couldn’t think, you couldn’t stop the absolute throat shredding guttural scream that was ripped painfully from your throat. You had no idea how much time passed or if you were even alive until the blinding white of your vision and ringing in your ears started to subside. You blinked and shook your head, shaking horribly and sweat pouring down your body. You panted hard and waited till your questioning thoughts died down before you took in the world around you. You quirked an eyebrow to see you were still upright on the motorbike despite both of your legs clutching the motorbike. If it was one of the heavier models you wouldn’t be as curious but it was clear this particular model was meant to be very movable with your body. Before you could even seriously ponder removing your helmet and jumping off from this ‘ _fucking nightmare bike’_ the sound of heavy footsteps gave you more than enough motivation to pull out from the lot.

Normally you’d be cocky as all hell at how successful this mission was. This trip had been a success. The wheels glowed a soft blue as you sped up to test its capacity. You couldn’t stop thinking of all the ways this vehicle could help your crew out. You couldn’t fight back yet but damn you might actually stand a chance of meeting one and surviving purely from outmaneuvering and outrunning the bastards. But this wasn’t normal. What sort of vehicle fills you with pain, and not the type of pain from the object itself but a pain that seemed to run through your very veins from a source completely foreign in origin? You shuddered. You looked behind you to try and take stock of the situation you were in. Judging by the giant, alien robot that had come out from a nearby warehouse and currently had their four amber eyes trained on you, you’d say _not feckin’ great_.

You’d heard stories and even seen them in passing as you’d hide behind trees or shelters. You’ve never seen one so in the open before though. You recognized the build from the sketches and rare photos you’d seen. Your chance of survival were steadily getting lower and lower. You felt like vomiting. Their coloration was a mix of purples, silver, and black with bright yellow energy crackling between joints and seems with the greatest concentration residing in the middle of it’s chest behind, what you guessed, was a diamond shaped glass covering. The long sharp legs that thickened at the top of the heel and thinned on the toe, on which all pressure was applied, brought to mind the image of a tall satyr. It’s torso and shoulders broadened as it went up. Two sets of long arms with clawed fingers were almost beautiful in their devastating potential. The lower set, which was tucked a bit behind themself, was longer than the main pair of arms. Like all Gratics, its body was a complex arrangement of metallic plates resembling armour or an exoskeleton. This extended to the face making up a mouth from various metallic plates that ended in a triangular point on each side. From the cheekbones two pairs of metallic extensions extended behind the head resembling cropped Doberman ears.

Hideo always told stories of his encounters with these particular models to keep your crew afraid so as not to underestimate the enemy. He had watched a Puma Prowler, _super creatively_ nicknamed Prowlers, for short, take out his old army buddy without so much as a chase. His friend had beaten speed and agility records across the board but stood absolutely zero chance against this thing. These were their top hunters. Fast, agile, stealthy, and strong. If you hadn’t feared its prowess enough already, the alien surging forward, its main arms tucking into its chest while the longer pair moved forward to sprint after you on all fours, sure cemented it.

You had only looked away for a second, but it was enough time for you to turn back just in time to witness how screwed you were. You felt a stab of fear go through your heart, your knuckles clutching tightly on the steering as the front wheel smacked onto a collection of rocks jutting up from the ground. You knew that keeping loose increased your survival chances but in the moment the tension was hard to overpower. To your surprise however, instead of flying off the bike to a painful, likely deadly, landing at this speed, something miraculous happened.

It felt like the bike itself was an extension of you. It had the moment you took off but you hadn’t the time or presence of mind to wonder why you could so easily ride this vehicle having never ridden one before. Your instincts and training kicked in and a sense of confidence ran through you. In response to the sudden ground and speed change the bike responded. The only way you could describe it is shifting. Cyan light shone through the seams as plates moved apart to adjust for whatever this bike was doing. For a millisecond your wondered if there was some sort of sealant released when it closed to make it look uniform or if the seams were simply microscopic to have not noticed them before. 

The bike then cartwheeled completely over thanks to the adjusted weight distribution adding to the momentum. You grinned, mentally calculating your landing, before the tires hit the ground with only a slight skittering wobble. Interestingly, the landing wasn’t as hard as you thought it would be, as the bike in its infinite adjustments had become more flexible to make it gentler on you. It felt as natural as a crouching landing. Then as suddenly as it happened the bike compressed again into its old shape and you continued forward. The fast and heavy thudding was closing in on you fast. It was time to see how truly fast this baby could go.


	2. How You Like Me Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting zapped by a weird bike we meet assface McGee and the golden metal husband. *Final Pam Voice*: MY ALUMINIUM LOVE

Accelerating on the bike felt akin to someone shoving adrenaline directly into your veins. When the footsteps behind you were reaching a more consistent following pace and no longer gaining on you quite so fast you smiled. You almost let out a cackle at how great you felt with the wind in your hair and without a care in the world at the revelation of your new situation. You almost did. The raw pain in your throat from your shout earlier was brought to your attention now that your entire being wasn’t just a string of curses relating to your inevitable death. ‘Ouch.’ So, you settled for a raspy, “woohoo,” and a small fist pump instead.

Your eyes jumped around the landscape, looking for a way to lose your new companion. You made a mental note to replace the mirror cause the cracked remnants gave you no insight to your rear-view. Of course, in getting this damned bike you had to come into an area with criminally few places to actually dodge and weave. You didn’t predict… well… this happening. That was when you noticed some debris that you could make use of. You made as if to turn left then quickly turned right, hoping to catch your pursuer a little off-guard. The slight distancing of the steps and, remarkably frustrated sounding, screeching of metal and robotic static behind you was your answer.

You headed directly for the fallen beam that was currently making a terrifyingly thin ramp to the top of a building. If you were as connected to this bike as you felt before, you hoped that you could thread the needle. Thread the needle you did, getting to the top remarkably quickly… maybe too quickly… as you ghosted over the roof below you continuing past the current building and… heading directly for the window of the building behind it. You lifted your arm to shield your face, but instead of your arm lifting up you saw the body of the motorcycle from the back and sides cover come forward and form a shield protecting you and the front wheels as you made contact with the glass, instantly shattering it. You kept your eyes forward but you didn’t need to see them move to know that as you broke through the glass the pieces moved along to the back in a protective manner from any residual glass before crossing in front of you again as you drove out the other side. You wheezed in amusement, wishing you could see your pursuers face.

You landed on another rooftop, a bit closer to the ground than your last one, and then finally landed back on the road. Your eyes lighting up at the sight of a drop that lead into a forested area. It clicked; you’d driven far enough that you were on the border of the nearby provincial park that was overgrown. You had loved growing up in this city for the priority natural spaces took in the city’s development but you were especially thankful now more than ever. Shattering and a screeching distorted noise behind you reminded you it wasn’t over. You could tell that this robot, who was easily 10 feet tall, took out some of the building supports because you heard some falling debris in its wake. Not being limited to flat surfaces they bounded off the wall and took a shortcut to your location. It was a shame that in their clear irritation they had given up the stealth aspects of their chase because you heard them loud and clear leaping for you.

“Don’t let me down now.” You growled to your bike as you leaned hard to the side, going all in on a crazy theory you had, and let the bike slide along the ground in the direction of the rusted light fencing that blocked out the steep hill. You marveled at how natural this all felt. You had played hockey a lot in your life as a hobby and were often times the bruiser in the sports you played. Whenever you had to go head to head to get the ball in a game of chicken, you were never the one to back out first. This felt as natural as you sliding to avoid an enemy dodge-ball lobbed at your head to grab the closest one, or skidding on your skates to quickly change direction to fake out the other team.

You threw out your hand, lightly skidding it across the ground. Oh… right you weren’t wearing gloves… ‘ouch again’. The sensation of burning fingertips made you lose your steadiness slightly. Almost as soon as you felt panic in your chest you felt part of the body wrap around your shoulder and leg closest to the ground mere moments before you made contact. “fuckfuckFUCKFUCK” you cursed. Before you fully lost control, your eyes flicked up to catch the robot having jumped way past you in the wrong direction, a look of pure confusion and irritation directed your way. You used your last remnant of control over the vehicle to raise a middle finger.

“How you like me now?!” you cackled as you closed your eyes to prepare for the incoming pain you were about to feel. You weren’t capable of thought as rusted metal ripped at your clothes and skin. You tumbled harshly down the hill. Occasionally pinballing painfully off a tree. Through your haze of begging this to stop you registered that you weren’t nearly as injured as you should have been… that level of injury being dead or paralyzed in reality. You had made contact with a hard pathway somewhere along the way before continuing down the hill. Something had protected your spine and neck as a reflex. Still hurt like hell though. Your descent ended with you falling unceremoniously into a puddle at the bottom.

You spent the next minute just trying to steady your breathing. Sunlight finally entered your helmet as you saw plates move away from blocking your vision. You lifted yourself with a groan onto your arms and smirked as you looked yourself over. You had gambled on the winning hand. You saw the plates of the bike covering your body like armour, giving extra support to your neck, chest, skull, and spine. The tires themselves had even broken apart to give the armor some flexibility. It was a wild theory but you were incredibly thankful that the craziness paid off. The thing that interested you the most was the energy that seemed to buzz around you. Similar to the alien robot but still unique. You’d never seen or heard of these alien robots shifting beyond minor chest cavity adjustments to make their movements easier or forming a blade from their wrist. This was something completely new and powerful.

“What the hell did I find?” You whispered in amazement. You shifted to get up from where you lay sprawled on your backside but let out a restrained noise of pain. You blinked and saw the puddle below you gradually becoming redder. Once again you marveled at how much this new technology felt like a third arm you’d had all your life as you achingly lifted a knee, finding the parts moving to help support your lower back and neck to take the weight off your aching muscles and bones. Your left shoulder screamed at you and you fell forward into the puddle, water coating your shirt and skin even more. You clenched your teeth and lifted yourself again. Doing your best to ignore the sharp pain in your everything. But you should have died in this fall. The fact you could move at all was a gift. How were you supposed to get up and keep running? You relaxed your shoulders for a moment and then, clenching your jaw pushed again. You cracked open your eyes when you felt a presence nearby. When you didn’t see the purple bastard lunging at you to ruin your day your eyes opened fully. Your vision fell on another of the Gratics that you had not noticed before. How could you miss a giant ass robot you hadn’t the foggiest.

They were just a slight bit shorter than the other one but their stature was similar. The main difference was it was slightly less lithe and more… the only word you could think of was muscular. This one’s colour was a beautiful gold with silver accents. Their proportions were different than the purple, similar to how people may be related in families but can have different facial structures. The layout of the plates was more unique to them. A small part of you felt really curious about how this being in front of you ticked. Streamlined plates flared off their sharp eyebrows and strong jawline. The jaw, fingertips, and areas between plating was a soft black. Pink electricity flicked around him, especially bright behind the wide V shaped glass in his chest. It was hard to see the arms but the second longer pair was different than the other ones you had seen. Unfortunately, from this angle, you couldn’t see it well enough to tell. The light from their eyes was a vibrant pink that you felt mesmerized looking into. It had the tooth looking protrusions as well but the plates forming their lips also partially held a bit of a w shape to them reminding you slightly of a cat. If you weren’t in excruciating pain and at the complete mercy of an entity that could kill you with a single thought, you’d have chuckled and made an UwU sound.

You shivered on your arm at the pain that was burning in your shoulders. Is this what a broken bone felt like? The robot still hadn’t made a move. Scrutinizing you carefully looking very out of place and unsure as far as you could tell based on the expression they held on their face. But you were very tired. You were tired of thinking and worrying. So you let a calm acceptance wash over you. You felt scared instinctively sure but mentally, you kind of wanted it to be the end for the entirety of your time stuck in this damned wasteland but there were reasons you didn’t do it yourself…

“Well?” You rasped. The robot jolted in surprise and backed up a step, their eyes widening as a radio static noise rumbled out of them. You raised a brow and continued. “Finish it.” You growled with what little fire remained in you. The robot’s fingers twitched as they approached closer. They knelt by your side a moment, an intensity in their eyes searing through you as they looked you up and down.

“…You’re badly injured.” A deep warm masculine voice eventually rumbled quietly from him. Did you detect a hint of concern?

“No shit.” You retorted in a tight tone with zero hesitation. The Gratic started to reach a hand towards you. You quickly recoiled, yelping at the movement. His hand twitched as he pulled it back quickly, his eyebrows knitting together slightly.

“Sorry.” He rumbled beginning to reach out his clawed hands as though to placate you but then pulling them back just as quickly with a quick intake. He clenched his jaw and breathed out quickly. His eyes unfocused and flicking back and forth slightly he rested his head on his closed hand, mouth lightly pressed to his foreclaw in a manner that was strikingly human. This was not the merciless monster you were led to believe you’d be meeting. You squinted at him, and slowly let your muscles relax.

“I-it’s fine…” You answered not taking your eyes off him. “You know English?”

He blinked up at you, hand lightly uncurling from his chin and mouth opening slightly. “Yes I.. I do.” He shifted his weight and cleared his throat, slowly straightening his back and shaking his head to remove the previous look of confusion. “We learned it in preparation for coming here until… well I don’t need to explain your own history to you,” he chuckled, but you didn’t miss the wobble in it. You blinked. That one sentence was a LOT to unpack. You grit your teeth, fists clenching tightly. Frustration bubbled in your chest when you realized the opportunity afforded you. You forced your voice to remain level. After two years of this post apocalypse garbage everyone back at home deserved an answer… if you even could get back that is. You couldn’t completely get rid of the aggressive waver though so you hoped he’d chalk it up to your shredded vocal cords.

“Please enlighten me.” You breathed through your nose and accepted your existence as being one with the puddle, breathing more evenly after lying back down and removing your helmet. “I’m woefully uninformed,” you deadpanned.

He opened his mouth to speak then closed it losing focus on you and blinking. “Well,” he hummed, “I apologize this is… difficult to explain but.. uh well.. you all were dead or feral.” You blinked. “We were prepping for contact a month before it happened but got the news tha-“

Ice stabbed through your chest at a familiar static crunching metal noise rumbling from the trees. The entity in front of you seemed to brighten, unaware of how stiff you’d become. The golden Gratic in front of you communicated similarly back. As far as you could tell his voice was softer rumble than the other’s and held a more even cadence. Then you saw your pursuer emerge from the trees looking rather cross and sharply brushing leaves off his form. He huffed and shook his shoulders one more time to try and unsuccessfully shake out the remaining leaves occupying his joints. His claws curled into fists. You winced at a quick sharp noise that fell from him that reminded you of the ringing of an improperly synced mic that had oh so often graced your poor ears during your school years. You would have been perfectly fine forgetting that memory.

“Currere-003!” Your conversation partner chastised the other. Currere didn’t turn his head. He merely blinked slowly and rolled his eyes. The golden Gratic grinned and gestured at you with a flourish like he was excited about you for… some reason? “Don’t swear in front of our new guest!” Those piercing amber eyes fixed on you and you could feel the blood drain from your face instantly. A slight smirk played on his lips.

“Oh don’t be so damn stuffy Evingel-001.” Currere purred back, his voice gravelly. His eyes flicking back over you. “After all, this human did plenty of swearing but a moment ago.”

“Oops?” you replied.

“Don’t fret new guest. To answer your question from earlier…” he began while looking you over with a cruel sort of amusement that held a dangerous hint of scrutinizing curiosity. The tone in his voice wasn’t kind or warm but mocking and dark in a way that made you pale. “ I really like you now.”


	3. I Feel it in my Bones. No Seriously it Really Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader has zero self-preservation urge and 200% other people preservation urge so lucky her. Evingel isn't a medic so only knows the bare bones of human biology.. which is still more than the majority of the other Gratics cause he went above and beyond in his preparations. He doesn't know enough to tell how bad things truly are but enough to be like "Oh no.. that's not good. Shit" and worry about whether or not he broke the human in his flight. Listen, these two are both secretly emotional wrecks and need to be told 'they are doing their best and that's more than enough.'

You heard metal hitting metal as the alien started clapping very slowly with all four arms.

“How bloody impressive. You moved slightly faster than the average human you must be _so_ proud” he drawled in a sneering monotone as he approached. He didn’t lean down like Evingel-001 did though and stood at his full height with arms resting on his hips and a smug grin.

Evingel tapped his chin, a bit lost in thought for a moment. You glared up at Currere feeling a petty smugness when you noticed how scuffed up he had gotten chasing you. Your eyes settled on speckled gashes across his face and chest. Despite your best interests you couldn’t resist a smirk.

“-fences are a _bitch_ huh?” You rasped with a pointed look at his scuffs. His amusement seemed to sour a little at that. His clawed hands roughly grabbed your jaw and tilted it up to his eyes. You felt a small trail of liquid slide down from his touch. He squinted as his eyes flicked over your form, tilting your head to get a better look. You began to feel uncomfortable at the level of scrutiny.

“…They’ll buff out… unlike broken bones.~” he purred as he plucked you off the ground by your jacket. You yelled at the painful strain it was putting on your abused shoulder. You sucked in a sharp breath. ‘w _hy did I piss off the giant murder robot whydidIpissoffthegiantmurderrobot’_

As soon as it started though you were quickly yanked away. The sudden strain would have been painful if you hadn’t hurt like hell already. The change into more careful arms, tucked protectively against the golden Gratic’s chest, felt infinitely better on your aching body. You marvelled at the pleasant rumbling thrum, like a car engine from another world, next to your ear. His pseudo-metal covering was pleasantly warm. Sure, you might die… but if you died here you found yourself being increasingly more alright with that. You couldn’t understand a word they were saying but their conversation looked heated.

————————————————————————-

[“What the HELL is wrong with you!?” Evingel-001 snapped. He glared at his colleague. He felt a pang of suspicion and worry at what he’d seen but, if something was going on, he needed to keep Currere-003 off-guard and overconfident. So, he played a little dumb. “I cannot believe you could forget how fragile human beings were! It was _clearly_ stated **repeatedly** in the welcome booklet!”]

He could see the fellow Gratic visibly restraining his irritation.

[“…Sorry bud. Must’ve slipped my programming.”]

He bristled but let a breath out.

[“Just take more care in the future hmm? This human could be important, for more than you know. Not only is she linked with remarkably intricate technology but we can’t risk losing what may be our one remaining link to humanity.” ] He brushed past him stopping for a moment without turning around. [“Oh. And it’s Evingel-001 or Sir. I _am_ your superior”]

[“Of course… _**Sir**_.”] Currere-003 growled. [“ _Superior my fuckin’ ass,”]_ he hissed under his breath.

Evingel spread his longer arms and, with a flick of his wrist, extended it into massive wings that looked like a clean fusion between a jet’s and a bird’s. His last free arm joined the other wrapped around the injured human in his grip to keep you stable. His eyes flicked down to you and he froze. The quick X-ray and check on your vitals he’d done was merely a surface look that he didn’t entirely understand as much as he’d like but from what he could tell your ‘heart-rate’ was dangerously high. As for your body, your vitals and spine looked okay from what cursory knowledge he remembered from his preparation but human bodies were complicated. There were some concerning cracks in your shoulders and right arm though… That was just the obvious stuff. Damn.. they didn’t cover this in the preparation courses. He should have done more independent study.

Interrupting his thoughts, you turned to look back past him with a pained groan at the motion. An object the size of your head came zipping toward you. Before he could even react, you caught it in your grip and settled back down. ‘ _Oh, her helmet.’_ He couldn’t stop the double take he did at that. ‘ _how the hell_ -‘ Odd. Something to be explored later.

He wanted to take flight but the speed of your heart was concerning and he didn’t entirely know what that meant or how to fix it. Instead he cleared his throat to get your attention. “Listen dear uh-…?“ He looked at you to continue. He felt your fingers tapping lightly on his arm in thought. He didn’t know enough about human interactions to feel comfortable in his guess but based on you averting your gaze and biting your lip you were hesitant. He wasn’t sure why but when it boiled down to it, he knew pushing the issue wouldn’t make you give him a truthful answer. So, he waited, carefully observing your vitals and hoping they’d drop soon.

———————————————————————

“…Some call me Hornet,” you rasped finally deciding to give him the nickname that you earned from your survivor crew instead of your real name. His eyes brightened.

“Some? You mean there’s more?” Your face very rapidly lost colour. He blinked ‘ _what does that mean?’_ but continued. “And… Hornet? I don’t know a lot about the creatures on this colony but aren’t they considered… unpleasant?”

“Maybe in the eyes of some people. But I’ve always liked em… clever, adaptable, underestimated, and a pain in the ass when you mess with em.” you said. That earned a snort from the bot.

“Based on you outmaneuvering my associate earlier that nickname fits,” he chuckled. He pointedly ignored the purple bot flicking him a sidelong look, while he attempted communications with their superior from his spot a short distance away, and folding his arms. He was pleased to see that your heart-rate was starting to settle a bit. “How did you earn such a title?”

That pulled a grin that was way too proud from you. He found your bright smile infectious and couldn’t help but return it.

“Now _that_ is a long-ass story.”

“Perhaps a short version?”

“Hmm… Alright. There once was a dude who joined our camp. I never liked him but no one believed me what with the smarmy bastard charming everyone with his stupid face. Much later I maaayy have gotten really drunk and coincidentally walked in on this dude arguing with his girlfriend-…s. Yeah he was a two, soon we learned four, timing bastard who was not only cheating on them but also stealing their valuables, including family heirlooms… so.. Yeah. I was _particularly_ done with this man’s bullshittery already let alone this offence and in my altered state I remembered the complaints about hornet nests and I got idea… Fucker ended up screeching and being chased from the camp by several thousand hornets on his ass.” You shrugged. “Kept hearing about how I ‘stormed in covered in bees like some sort of vengeful bee deity and I unleashed them on the guy. Got a lot of people giving me frightened stares after that.” He blinked at you, but before he could digest whatever _that_ was and formulate any emotion or response you continued. “…But seriously what the hell were you talking about ‘ _our history’_?”

He raised an eyebrow. “First of all, a long version is sorely needed… secondly I would very much like to hear more about how you remember it differently Ms. Horne-.”

Currere-003 came up beside him interrupting him in their native language: Everian.

[“Look mate. You can chat with the asset all you want later. I let the bossman know the situation and he wants us there immediately. And if I know the guy which, let me check, I fuckin’ do, we better not keep him waiting.”]

Evingel scowled. [“Isn’t our **guest’s** health paramount?”]

[“In an ideal world _sir_ … in an ideal world,” he drawled with disinterest.]

Evingel-001 groaned in frustration before leaning forward. He gave you an apologetic look which you just squinted and tilted your head at.

“Listen…we need to take you to safety and our head officer of communications right away so um.. I encourage you to hold on” he said. He tried to grit his teeth and ignore his overwhelming concern when he felt your whole body tense in his grip.

That was all the warning you got before he took two running steps and, using his long-armed wings, pole vaulted himself high into the air where he stretching his wings out fully. Your poor vocal cords couldn’t handle much more of this. You shrieked as he leapt up with nauseating speed. Your muscles tensed, arms immediately wrapping around Evingel’s neck so tightly a small part of your brain wondered if you were choking him… but you didn’t have the presence of mind to loosen your grip. It wasn’t until he had reached the right altitude and levelled out his flight that you could actually think… but you weren’t feeling much better.

You felt and thought nothing but loud internal screaming and the millions of reasons of how this could go wrong and how it would be such a bad idea. The urgency in his tone didn’t help your nerves either. When it came to things that involved risking your own neck you didn’t really give a shit but this… whatever this Gratic wanted with you, a more peaceful option you assumed by his demeanor, could affect your whole group. More than that this bot seemed just as confused as you were and you so badly wanted answers. But you all knew so little about these guys and these bots seemed to be able to somehow tell in what ways you were injured. You might be mistaken, but you would have sworn that some of Evingel’s looks of mild concern and relief were in response to how anxious you were. ‘ _If he can tell when I’m panicking with a look, which… at this fucking point we live in a world where giant robots from outer space destroyed all our shit so I wouldn’t put it past them, what if they can see or do more than that? What if I compromise the base by thinking about it or some shit_!? _I’d fuck over so many people and it’d be my fault._ ’ You knew in your heart that in a million years you’d never open your lips about your fellow humans ever but those intrusive thoughts and self-doubt kept overwhelming you with worst case hypotheticals to instill a deep guilt in you for something that you hadn’t even done. You tried to shut it up but your brain was practically yelling and the growing pain in your chest was not helping you think.

“..S-shit!” you hissed in a whisper and ducked your head in frustration as you felt your face scrunch up and tears fall without your permission. ‘ _please not now! What sort of first impression is this!?_ ’ you chastised yourself. The emotion you’d gotten so good at holding back broke… breaking bones, meeting robots that you had previously been told would kill you without hesitation, learning that everything you knew about said robots being wrong, learning that there was way more to the apocalypse than you thought, your mind thinking of all the worst case scenarios faster than your human brain can process, feeling your body heat up from said stress, and almost dying was sure good at smashing your well maintained guards down. You couldn’t even excuse yourself and have your panic attack somewhere private.

You felt the arms gripping you give a light squeeze to your uninjured side in response in reassurance. ‘ _Fuck he noticed how embarrassing.’_ Great now your face was heating up too from your shame. You sorely wished you could just hide under a rock for the rest of your life. You’d eaten insects before you could handle this. Little did you know that while you were panicking your golden guardian was simultaneously panicking. At the swear you’d failed to stifle and resulting sniffles the poor bot had no idea what to do. Were you dying? Was this how humans died? _Did he break the human?!_ He felt sorely unprepared for consoling you and felt worry and hot white shame flood through him as he chastised himself for failing in making you feel secure and safe in your clearly injured and vulnerable state. _‘What sort of first impression is this?!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how redeemable you want Currere to be. I have the story plotted with his role in it but how redeemable he can be and should be is still up in the air. ;3c


End file.
